Re: Apple Comp is slapping us ][ers in the face!

[rubywand@aol.com (RUBYWAND)]

In article <ptKxnMp.rocketusa@delphi.com>, Darren Johnson  26 yo  32 MPG
<rocketusa@delphi.com> writes:

>.... Apple Corp is introducing
>a $800 computer to schools? It won't be based on the Mac. Instead,
>it will be based on - drum roll por favor - the Newton!
>The freaking Newton!  Why not the ][? THe ][ is mentioned in the article.
>Apple heads said that they couldn't build a Mac for $800. And they
>wanted something that could do word processing and communications
programs -
>it won't even have color!
>Why not the ][? Is it because, as has been seen with the Mac, they get
>hurt after selling cloning rights? ....
>

"Apple Comp is slapping us ][ers in the face!":  And II users kick Apple
in the butt while Mac users throw pies. Maybe we should all just forget
about computers and take this show 'on the road'!

     Selling cloning rights is not such a bad tactic. It allows the
company to maintain market niches for products it backs without having to
actually manufacture and sell the products. It seems likely that, soon,
nearly all Macs will be "clones".

     The 'vision' is a company which generates new products, makes a
quickie profit on initial sales, and, then, spins-out the product to
cloners. It gets additional income from licensing fees and whatever system
software it can sell. Basically, you have the logical extension of Apple's
old strategy of targeting small, rich markets.

     A key to making this scheme work well, is having production
facilities which are fairly flexible-- sections can be deallocated and
're-tooled' without a lot of hassle. This lets you make Macs one month and
Newtons another or quickly shift 25% of a facility from one line to
another. Apple might even handle production for some of its cloners!

    As for a school-version Newton running the Freaking OS: A
II-compatible notebook computer would have been nice; but, it could be
that Apple has a deal with Tiger to lay off on introducing new for-school
II machines. The gross part is the price. Once again, Apple has a decent
idea and, then, bungles a shot at owning the market with a price everyone
else can undercut. Maybe they plan to offer a 50% discount for large
orders from school districts.     


Rubywand